Both enterprises and individuals are increasingly interested in using handheld devices. Most modern handheld devices are equipped with multiple sensors (e.g., microphone, wireless transmitter, global positioning system (GPS) engine, camera, stylus, etc.). However, there are no applications available that make full use of multiple sensors. In other words, multi-sensory technologies that make handheld devices a multi-modal multi-lingual mobile assistant are not available.
Today, portable devices such as cellular telephones and personal data assistants (PDAs) employ state-of-the-art operating systems. As such, these devices have increased computing power in hardware and increased features in software in relation to earlier technologies. Oftentimes, cellular telephones are equipped with built-in digital image capture devices (e.g., cameras) and microphones together with computing functionalities of personal digital assistants (PDAs). Since these devices combine the functionality of cellular telephones with the functionality of PDAs, they are commonly referred to as “smartphones.” The hardware and software features available in these smartphones and similar technologically capable devices provide developers the capability and flexibility to build applications through a versatile platform. The increasing market penetration of these portable devices (e.g., PDAs) inspires programmers to build applications, games, etc. for these smartphones.
As described above, many smartphones have built-in digital image capture devices (e.g., cameras) capable of generating video graphics array (VGA) quality pictures having 640×480 pixel resolution. Several higher-end smartphones, especially those developed in the European and Asian markets, are capable of taking pictures of 1 Mega-pixel resolution and higher. As well, many of these image capture devices that are integrated into portable devices are capable of capturing motion pictures. With the technological advances in handheld and portable devices, there is an ongoing and increasing need to maximize the benefit of these continually emerging technologies.
However, today, these portable devices (e.g., smartphones, PDAs) do not integrate well with a desktop computer. For example, although smartphones and PDAs are frequently equipped with image capture devices, this functionality is not currently integrated into a computer or disparate device thereby enabling a collaborated and/or aggregated use of this functionality.
Electronic organizers are widely used to manage and organize a variety of PIM (personal information manager) data. An electronic organizer (e.g., PIM) enables a user to electronically retain personal data for any purpose and to retrieve the data as desired. Today, PIMs can vary widely, but common to all of them is to provide methods for managing and organizing personal information and to make the information readily available to the user.
Today, PIMs have become increasingly more common. For instance, personal data assistants (PDAs) are probably the most common example of a PIM. Additionally, emerging mobile devices such as mobile telephones, smartphones, and handheld pocket computers frequently incorporate PIM functionality. Oftentimes, a user has multiple devices for which synchronization of data (e.g., PIM data, files) is desired. By way of example, it is not uncommon for a user to have a PDA, a mobile telephone, a home personal computer (PC) and an office PC whereby synchronization of data is desired.
Systems do not currently exist that provide for automatic collaboration, synchronization and/or aggregation of data and services between multiple devices. Furthermore, conventional systems and devices do not leverage the increased computing power of portable devices and PCs by automatically facilitating data and service synchronization and/or collaboration. In other words, devices that enable wireless synchronization and collaboration of data and services between disparate devices are not currently available.